The dance uses traditional musical instruments like pena and laangden (traditional drum). A variant of Thougal Jagoi, performed only by women dancers, is known as Leima Jagoi. It is the folk dance of the Meitei community performed during the Lai Haraoba festival before the deities. The dance drama choreography shares the plays and stories of Vaishnavite Padavalis, that also inspired the major Gaudiya Vaishnava-related performance arts found in Assam and West Bengal. It is accompanied with devotional music created with many instruments, with the beat set by cymbals (kartal or manjira) and double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mrdanga) of sankirtan. This Manipuri dance drama is, for most part, marked by a performance that is graceful, fluid, sinuous with greater emphasis on hand and upper body gestures. With evidence of Vishnu temples in the medieval era, this dance form have been passed down verbally from generation to generation as an oral tradition.

The roots of the Manipuri Raas Leela dance, as with all classical Indian dances, is the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text Natya Shastra, with influences and the culture fusion between various local folk dance forms. The Raas Leela is based on Hindu Vaishnavism themes, and exquisite performances of love-inspired dance drama of Radha-Krishna called Raas Leela. There are numerous dance forms of Manipur, comprising both classical and folk dances of the different communities residing in the state. Aspects of this performance art is celebrated during festivals and major rites of passage such as weddings among the Manipuri people, particularly in the ethnic majority of Meitei people. Manipuri dance is a religious art and its aim is the expression of spiritual values. The Manipuri dance, in general, is a team performance, with its own unique costumes, aesthetics, conventions and repertoire. The folk dance forms are mainly attributed to regional deities such as Umang Lai and performed during Lai Haraoba, and also the dances of the different tribal communities of Manipur. The Raas Leela is one of the major Indian classical dance forms. Manipuri dances encompasses both classical and folk dance forms. There are many different dance styles from Manipur, a state in northeastern India bordering with Myanmar (Burma), Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram.

Manipur thabal music track